Head diaphragm substrate, liquid discharge head, liquid discharge device, and liquid discharge apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11059292-B2
Application number	US-201916293722-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 6, 2019
Priority date	Mar 14, 2018
Publication date	Jul 13, 2021
Grant date	Jul 13, 2021

Abstract

A metal member includes a first layer and a second layer. The second layer has an average crystal grain size different from an average crystal grain size of the first layer. An intermediate layer having an average crystal grain size smaller than the average crystal grain sizes of the first layer and the second layer is interposed between the first layer and the second layer.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A metal member, comprising:
a first layer;
a second layer having a second average crystal grain size different from a first average crystal grain size of the first layer; and
an intermediate layer having an average crystal grain size smaller than both the first average crystal grain size and the second average crystal grain size, and being interposed between the first layer and the second layer,
wherein the second layer and the intermediate layer are electroformed from identical material using different current densities so that the average crystal grain size of the intermediate layer is smaller than the second average crystal grain size.

2. The metal member according to claim 1 ,
wherein the second average crystal grain size of the second layer is larger than the first average crystal grain size of the first layer.

3. The metal member according to claim 1 ,
wherein a thickness of the intermediate layer is thinner than both a thickness of the first layer and a thickness of the second layer.

4. A head diaphragm substrate comprising:
the metal member according to claim 1 .

5. A liquid discharge head comprising:
the head diaphragm substrate according to claim 4 .

6. A liquid discharge device comprising:
the liquid discharge head according to claim 5 .

7. The liquid discharge device according to claim 6 , further comprising
at least one of a head tank that stores liquid to be supplied to the liquid discharge head, a carriage that mounts the liquid discharge head, a supply mechanism that supplies liquid to the liquid discharge head, a maintenance and recovery mechanism that maintains and recovers the liquid discharge head, and a main scanning movement mechanism that moves the liquid discharge head in a main scanning direction integrated with the liquid discharge head.

8. A liquid discharge apparatus comprising:
the liquid discharge device according to claim 6 .

9. A liquid discharge apparatus comprising:
the liquid discharge head according to claim 5 .

10. The metal member of claim 1 , wherein the average crystal grain size of the intermediate layer is such that crystal grains of the intermediate layer enter between crystal grains of the first and second layers to improve adhesion between the first and second layers.

11. The liquid discharge head of claim 5 , further comprising a piezoelectric actuator on a side of the second layer of the metal member,
wherein the second average crystal grain size of the second layer is larger than the first average crystal gain size of the first layer.

12. The metal member of claim 1 , wherein a combined thickness of the second layer and the intermediate layer is greater than a thickness of the first layer.

13. The liquid discharge head of claim 5 , wherein a combined thickness of the second layer and the intermediate layer is greater than a thickness of the first layer.

14. The metal member of claim 1 , wherein each of the first and second layer is a metal formed by electroforming.

15. A metal member, comprising:
a first layer;
a second layer having a second average crystal grain size larger than a first average crystal grain size of the first layer; and
an intermediate layer having an average crystal grain size smaller than both the first average crystal grain size and the second average crystal grain size, and being interposed between the first layer and the second layer,
wherein the intermediate layer is thinner than both the first layer and the second layer, and
wherein the second layer and the intermediate layer are electroformed from identical material using different current densities so that the average crystal grain size of the intermediate layer is smaller than the second average crystal grain size.

16. A metal member, comprising:
a first layer;
a second layer; and
an intermediate layer having an average crystal grain size smaller than both a first average crystal grain size of the first layer and a second average crystal grain size of the second layer, and being interposed between the first layer d the second layer,
wherein the intermediate layer is thinner than both the first layer and the second layer, and
wherein the second layer and the intermediate layer are electroformed from identical material using different current densities so that the average crystal grain size of the intermediate layer is smaller than the second average crystal grain size.

17. The metal member of claim 1 , wherein the metal member consists of only the first layer, the second layer, and the intermediate layer.

18. The metal member of claim 1 , wherein the first layer is electroformed from the identical material of the second layer and the intermediate layer using a first current density different from the current densities used to electroform the second layer and the intermediate layer.

Assignees

• Tsuzuki Kohei
• Mori Takashi
• Okamoto Ryoji
• Hiratsuka Yuta
• Morita Kaname
• Kobayashi Yohsuke
• Ricoh Co Ltd

Inventors

• Tsuzuki Kohei
• Mori Takashi
• Okamoto Ryoji
• Hiratsuka Yuta
• Morita Kaname
• Kobayashi Yohsuke

Classifications

• B41J2/14274 Primary

  of stacked structure type, deformed by compression/extension and disposed on a diaphragm · CPC title

• B41J25/006

  for oscillating, e.g. page-width print heads provided with counter-balancing means or shock absorbers · CPC title

• B41J2002/14403

  including a filter · CPC title

• B41J2202/12

  with ink circulating through the whole print head · CPC title

• B41J2/14233 Primary

  of film type, deformed by bending and disposed on a diaphragm · CPC title